It's an exciting, fast-paced, stimulating event where you turn a cool idea into something real in only 24 hours! It's like a marathon workshop for developers, designers, and entrepreneurs! It's also about meeting and getting to know cool people in the local community while doing something fun.

What do I need to bring?

A laptop and charger is a good starting place. Bring a sleeping bag if you plan to sleep and any toiletries you may want to have on hand. Other than that, we provide food, facilities, power, and drinks. You’ll just need to worry about bringing the technology, great ideas, and the collective team expertise needed to build something great!

What if I’m a newbie?

Then, there’s no better way to get your feet wet! You don’t need to have ever attended a hackathon before to participate in HACKTIVE.

Is there going to be food?

Definitely. We’ll provide food throughout the event at no cost to participants, from more substantial meals to snacks for munching and code-crunching. Plenty of beverages will be provided during the competition as well, with no shortage of energy drinks! If you have a specific food allergy or other specific need, contact us and we'll try to find a way to make it work for you.

What time should I arrive at the event?

Check-in will start at 10am on Saturday morning. The event doesn’t officially kick off until 11:30am, but come early if you want to set up a specific hacking spot for your team, as this will be determined on a first come, first serve basis.

What will the sleeping arrangements be?

There won’t be any officially designated sleeping area, however there will be plenty of benches, seats, and beanbag chairs throughout if you want to catch some Z’s a quiet corner.

Can I start working before HACKTIVE begins?

No. All code must have been produced solely by team members, working on-site, after 12:00PM on Saturday, September 21st. However, you can begin brainstorming, planning, and strategizing now.

When are app submissions due?

Each team is permitted one submission that must be received by 12PM on Sunday, September 22nd. All code must have been produced solely by team members, working on-site, after 12:00PM on Saturday, September 21st.

How will demos work?

Be prepared to demo your app after the submission phase is complete. Demos should be no longer than 3 minutes. Demos take place in two rounds. Teams will be placed in one of three groups for the first round. The top fifteen teams will constitute the teams in the second round. First round demos will be three minutes of presentation. Second round demos will consist of three minutes of presentation and then two minutes of Q&A.

How will the apps be judged?

A panel of industry judges will judge the apps based on five equally-weighted criteria: Design, Effective use of the ACTIVE Network platform, Utility, Relevancy to the theme, and Originality of concept, each scored on a 10 point scale. Penalties may be assessed for going over the allotted demo time.

What kind of data is available for use during the hackathon?

Participants can use any of the publicaly available ACTIVE Network APIs listed on the ACTIVE Access website (http://developer.active.com/apis). In addition, you can also use any other publicly available API or dataset including Mashery API Network (http://developer.mashery.com/), Aetna Carepass APIs (https://developer.carepass.com/), etc.